


Everyone calls you amazing (I just call you mine)

by thegirl20



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-03-03 15:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13344495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirl20/pseuds/thegirl20
Summary: Inconsequential glimpses of Charity and Vanessa's domestic life. Literally that's all. Nothing happens.  (Set at some undetermined point in the future when they've moved in together.)





	1. Shopping

**Author's Note:**

> I tend to work through writer's block by writing scenes of domestic nothingness. These are just those.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A family shopping trip.

"Moses! Get out from under there!" Vanessa rushes over to the bread section, bending to grab Moses' leg before he disappears completely under the lowest shelf. She pulls him out, grateful for the polished floor as it makes his retrieval easy. When his head finally appears, he's smiling and her stern expression falters. "You can't crawl in there, darlin', okay? What if you got stuck?"

"Fireman Sam'd get me," Moses decides, allowing himself to be helped to his feet and dusted down.

Vanessa sighs at three year old logic. "No, more like Fireman Ness'd have to get you. And I'd  _definitely_  get stuck if I tried to get under there." She stands and takes his hand. "C'mon, let's find the rest of them before they sneak anything else in the trolley while I'm not looking."

She grabs a brown loaf and a white loaf because Noah moans the face off her if she tries to make him eat brown toast. She gives Moses one of them to carry, hoping that it keeps him occupied enough not to run off again.

Once again she questions her desire to bring the whole family to the supermarket on a Saturday afternoon. She'd managed to coax Charity into it, assuring her that it would be an activity that they could all do together. It's difficult, when you have a teenager and two toddlers, to find activities that everyone will enjoy. Not that supermarket visits are  _enjoyable_ exactly, but at least everyone has a vested interest in it. Charity had agreed, but only if she was in charge of pushing the trolley.

They find Charity, Noah and Johnny in the cereal aisle. Noah has three boxes in his arms, and Charity's leaning on the handle of the trolley, pulling faces that are sending Johnny into fits of laughter. Vanessa sighs; they really should've insisted Moses sit in the trolley seat; Johnny's far less likely to get stuck under shelving. As they draw closer, Vanessa takes note of the types of cereal Noah has selected. Frosties, Coco Pops and Sugar Puffs. She sighs again.

"Uh, what did we agree?" she asks, placing her bread in the trolley. Moses launches his like a shotput, but he gets it in and it doesn't look too badly squashed. She'll take that as a win.

Noah, as is his habit these days, rolls his eyes. "There's no point in getting a healthy one and a bad one. Nobody's gonna choose muesli over Coco Pops."

" _I_  will," Vanessa protests. "And the little ones love muesli with their yoghurt." She bumps Charity's hip with her own. "Your mum eats it too. Sometimes."

"Only when I'm forced," Charity mutters, crossing her eyes at Johnny, who laughs in delight and grabs her cheeks, leaning in to press their noses together.

"How about two bad ones and one healthy one?" Noah asks, giving her the eyes he knows she can't resist. His mother can, but Vanessa's powerless against his little pleading face.

"Fine," she sighs. It's a work in progress, encouraging him to eat healthier. That's what she tells herself.

"Yes!" He returns the Sugar Puffs and drops the other two boxes into the trolley. He turns to Vanessa and wrinkles his nose. "You can choose the healthy one. They all taste like sawdust to me."

She selects the brand of muesli they usually buy and shoves it in the trolley, painting a bright smile on her face as she turns to face the others. "Right, nearly done now. Just a couple of b-"

"Ness," Moses whines, leaning against her leg and rubbing his eye. "I'm tired. Can I have a carry?"

She looks down at him and puts a hand on his head, feeling guilty for keeping them out longer than intended. "Well, what if Johnny gives you a turn in the trolley instead, eh?"

"Good luck getting him out of there," Charity mumbles. "He's enjoying my witty repartee too much."

"I don't want in the trolley, I want a carry," Moses says, wrapping his arm around her thigh, almost all of his weight resting against her now. He gets like this when he's tired. Usually he's an independent little thing, always off exploring or jumping off things. But when he's sleepy, he just wants to be coddled.

"Fine, c'mon then." She stoops and hoists him up, groaning a little with the effort. It won't be long until he's too big to be carried. Johnny won't be long after him either. He settles against her, finding a comfortable position with his head tucked under her chin.

"Here you go, love," Charity says, rummaging in her handbag and emerging with Moses' blankey. He takes it from her and immediately shoves it in his mouth.

"Right, this means the two of you need to get the rest of the stuff we need, unload the trolley onto the conveyor belt  _and_ pack the bags," Vanessa tells Noah and Charity. "Because my hands are officially full."

"You never told me that was the deal!" Charity complains. "Else I'd have carried him."

"Well, he wanted me, so tough luck," Vanessa says, with a sweet smile.

She quickly divides up the remaining things they need between Charity and Noah and they go off to fetch them while she rocks Moses near the checkouts. It doesn't take long before his breaths turn into little snores and she smiles, kissing his hair. Before long, Charity returns, pushing the trolley and nodding and widening her eyes at whatever Johnny's babbling at her.

"Tell mummy what we got for when we get home, babes," Charity says, as they draw near.

Johnny twists around to see her and grins. "Popcorn!"

"I don't think that was on the list," Vanessa says, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, I thought since we're doing all this 'family bonding' malarkey, we might as well do a movie night too," Charity says. "Johnny thinks we should watch 101 Dalmatians. Again." She leans in close to Vanessa to murmur. "But if we do, I might have to top myself, so we're still in negotiations."

Vanessa laughs softly, conscious of the sleeping child in her arms. "A movie night sounds great," she says, smiling at Charity. When they first started going out, she would never have imagined Charity planning family activities for them and their kids, but here they are.

Noah rounds the aisle holding many more items than she sent him for, and dumps them in the trolley. She sighs and gives him a playful glare. "Is  _any_ of that healthy?"

"Doubt it," Noah says. "But it's  _tasty_. And that's what counts."

"He's a lost cause, Ness," Charity says. "Just concentrate on the other two."

"He runs it off, I suppose," Vanessa concedes. "Thank goodness for footie practise, eh?" She shakes her head fondly at the grinning teenager. "Right, checkout then home?"

"Or," Noah says, falling into step with Vanessa as they try to find a checkout that's not  _too_ crowded. "We could checkout and then McDonalds and  _then_ home?"

"We've just bought half a ton of food!" Vanessa says.

"Yeah, but, like, we can start eating that tomorrow?" Noah suggests, giving her those eyes again. "Please Ness, it's been ages since we had one."

She lets out a groan. "Oh, fine. Whatever."

Charity's shaking her head as Noah fist pumps. "Since you're getting a McDonalds, you can unload the whole trolley and work up an appetite, yeah?" she tells him, which he dutifully starts to do. Charity turns her attention to Vanessa. "You're a soft touch, you know that?"

"I know," Vanessa says. "But I  _did_  drag him here on a Saturday."

"And how has your experiment in family bonding gone, d'you think?" Charity asks.

Vanessa looks around. Noah's piling tins on top of eggs and fruit, but he's working hard. Johnny's smiling up at Charity like she's the sun and the moon rolled into one. And Moses' drool soaked blankey is slowly sliding down her neck into her cleavage.

She shrugs. "Could've been worse."

Charity tilts her head and smiles. "But back to online shopping next week, right?"

Vanessa laughs and nods. "Absolutely."


	2. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanessa and Johnny aren't well.

After the third unanswered text, Charity decides something must be wrong. It's not like they're in constant contact or anything, but Vanessa never lets a text go more than an hour without at least acknowledging it. She tells Chas she's taking her break and heads through to the living room, having already pulled up Vanessa's number, ready to press call.

The phone rings four times, one more and it'll go to voicemail. She sucks in a breath just as the voicemail message should kick in, but a millisecond before it does, the call is answered.

"Hi." The word is followed by a weird noise that sounds like a hiccup and Charity frowns.

"Oh, so you  _are_  alive?" Charity say. "I was just checking since you've not answered any of my texts."

"Yeah, I'm s-sorry. I've just…" There's that noise again and suddenly Charity figures out what it is. She frowns.

"Ness, are...are you crying?"

There's a pause that's too long before the answer comes. "N-no." The word is curtailed by a sob that completely negates it.

Charity's up on her feet before she even knows what she's doing, heart pounding. "Vanessa, what's wrong?"

"It's s-stupid. Ignore me. I'm just f-feeling sorry for myself," Vanessa says, her words staccato and uneven.

"Tell me why you're crying and  _I'll_  decide if it's stupid," Charity says.

"The childminder called m-me earlier because Johnny wasn't himself. S-so I went and picked him up and brought him home and he's be-een throwing up since. And for the last c-couple of hours, so have I."

"Oh, babe," Charity coos, wincing at how soft she sounds; at how soft Vanessa makes her  _feel_. "Why didn't you phone me?"

"Because you're working and I didn't want you mithering over us. And it's n-nothing. Twenty four hour bug, most likely. I don't even kn-know why I'm upset."

"Because dealing with a sick toddler when you're puking your own guts out isn't anybody's idea of a good time," Charity says, already out in the hall, grabbing her coat. On any other day Noah would've probably called her, but he's staying at a mate's.

"I know, but it's not like I've not done it bef-" Vanessa trails off. "Charity I've got to go."

The call is disconnected before she can respond. While she really isn't that keen on looking after people at the best of times, and sick people even less so, she knows what she's got to do.

When she gets through to the front, Chas is leaning on the bar, yapping to Paddy, not exactly run off her feet. Charity makes her way over to them.

"I need to go home. You'll cope with the hordes here, I take it?" She's already shrugging into her coat, so it's not like she's actually asking permission.

Chas rolls her eyes. "Charity, that rota I put up once a month isn't just a suggestion. It's a fair division of labour." She shakes her head.

"I'm aware of that," Charity says, narrowing her eyes at her cousin as she continues on her way. "Johnny's got a tummy bug and Vanessa's picked it up as well now. So I'm going home to check they're alright, if you must know."

She regrets telling them immediately because Paddy lets out the girliest 'awwww' she's ever heard and Chas actually puts a hand over her bloody heart.

"Of course, go," Chas says, ushering her out from behind the bar. "And give them our love. Oh, wait!" Charity turns, one eyebrow raised. "I think we've maybe still got some of those nurse outfits from Tracy's hen do kicking around in the back. D'you want me to go and have a look?"

"I don't even know why I bother to speak to you, I really don't," Charity says, glaring as Paddy joins in with Chas' giggles.

* * *

The downstairs lights are on when she reaches home, and the door opens when she tries the handle. She kicks off her shoes and leaves her coat on one of the hooks before moving further into the house. She finds Johnny lying on the couch, white as a sheet with dark circles under his eyes. There's some cartoon playing on the telly, but he's not paying it much attention; looking through it rather than at it..

"Hiya babes," Charity says, keeping her voice low.

His eyes are sluggish as they move to meet hers and a ghost of a smile appears on his face. "Hi."

She moves to kneel on the floor by him, stroking some of his hair back from his forehead which, she notes, is very warm.

"I hear you're poorly, little man."

He nods. "I've got a sore tummy. An' I've sicked up loads."

Charity tilts her head in sympathy. "I know, darlin'," she coos. "It's horrible, but that's how you get all the bad stuff out of your tummy so you can start to feel better." He nods and she picks up the sippy cup that's on the coffee table. "Here. Drink some water."

He struggles to lift his head and Charity's heart breaks for him. He might not be her kid, but she's damned if she doesn't love the little mite. He took a liking to her from the start and she stopped bothering to fight his affection and adoration very quickly. She yanks another cushion from the other end of the couch and props him up a bit further so he can comfortably drink. He manages a few sips before pushing it back at her and collapsing back down on the cushions, even that tiny bit of exertion sapping his energy.

"Where's mummy?" Charity asks, stroking her thumb along his eyebrow.

"Sickin' up more," Johnny says.

Charity wrinkles her nose, but nods. "Right." She glances towards the stairs. "Okay, how about we get you up to be-"

"Johnny, are you speaking to some-" Vanessa's legs appear through the spokes of the bannister as she head down the stairs. She stops when she catches sight of Charity, frowning. She doesn't look in much better nick than Johnny. Her face is pale and clammy, her hair scraped back into a ponytail. She's wearing a large hoodie over a pair of tartan pyjama bottoms. "What are you doing here?"

"Charity came home 'cause we was sicking up," Johnny tells her.

"Johnny was a little more happy to see me that you seem to be, though, babe," Charity says, confused by Vanessa's reaction.

"No…I just…" Vanessa's voice is strained and she blinks a couple of times before turning around and heading back up the stairs.

Charity turns back to Johnny with an overly bright smile. "Hey, you watch your cartoons, okay? I'm gonna go and see if mummy needs anything."

He nods. She leans down and presses her lips against his too warm head before following Vanessa. She finds her standing at the top of the stairs, a hand over her mouth. Charity braces herself.

"Are you gonna be sick again?" Vanessa shakes her head and the light catches her eyes, revealing them to be full of tears. Charity takes the few steps between them. "Hey..." she soothes, as best she can. "What's all the crying about, eh? D'you feel  _that_ bad?"

It takes a few moments, but Vanessa uncovers her mouth and looks up at Charity. "It's not that. I just-" She smiles, though her eyes are still watery. "I didn't expect...I mean, you were at work and I thought-."

"So, you're crying because I'm less of a selfish cow than you thought?" She smiles when Vanessa laughs. "Really? You thought I'd listen to you sobbing down the phone and leave you here on your own?" Charity shakes her head. "Come here you pillock," she gathers Vanessa into her arms, rocking her gently. Vanessa leans heavily against her, pressing her face into Charity's shoulder.

"I just...it's been a long time since I had anyone I could rely on for stuff like this." A warm breath is blown out against her shoulder. "Maybe I've  _never_ had anyone like that."

"You've definitely never had anyone like me," Charity agrees, brushing a kiss over Vanessa's temple. Not for the first time, she wonders why Vanessa wasn't snapped up years ago. Why no-one's ever taken the time to love her properly. She's so bloody sweet and loyal and just downright wonderful, that Charity is constantly amazed no-one else managed to get to her before Charity did. No-one who stuck around, at least.

"You shouldn't be this close," Vanessa says. "You'll catch it."

"I've got a hardy constitution, me," Charity assures her. "But if I do catch it, then you are obliged to take round the clock care of me. And I am  _not_ a good patient."

"I'm aware," Vanessa says, and Charity can hear the smile in her voice. "That couple of days you had the sniffles was pure torture." She lifts her head and looks up at Charity, completely sincere. "But of course I will."

"It was at least double pneumonia, I had," Charity protests, with a grin.

"Pretty sure it was a mild cold," Vanessa says, shaking her head.

"You're a vet, buttercup, not a doctor," Charity says, narrowing her eyes. She lifts a hand to cup Vanessa's cheek, swiping her thumb over drying tear tracks. "Listen, go and give your face a wash and I'll go and get Johnny, eh? I think the two of you need bed rest. And I think we should have him in our bed, just in case."

Vanessa nods, covering Charity's hand on her cheek with her own and leaning into it. "Thank you."

"For what?" Charity asks.

"For loving us as much as you do," Vanessa says, catching Charity off-guard with that alarming habit she has of saying exactly what she's feeling.

"Like I had a choice," Charity murmurs. And she absolutely did not. It crept up on her and she was in deep before she even realised.

"Well, you  _chose_  to come home to two invalids, so thanks for that, then," Vanessa says, turning to press a kiss to Charity's palm before she pulls away and heads to the bathroom. Charity watches her go.

"No place I'd rather be, babe," she whispers.


	3. Bath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charity decides to pamper herself with a luxurious bath.

Charity lets out a sigh as the heat from the bathwater seeps into her bones. She's not had a physically demanding day, really, but at her age aches and pains don't always need a cause and she seems to discover new ones daily. Johnny's in bed, Noah's in his room and Vanessa's out on a call, so the house is quiet for a change and she's taking the opportunity to pamper herself a little. She leans her head back and closes her eyes. Bliss.

The front door opens and closes again and her lips turn up into a smile, unbidden. She rolls her eyes at herself. She literally saw Vanessa a few hours ago and her she is, grinning like a ninny just because she's home a little earlier than she thought she would be. She listens as Vanessa moves around the living room, probably picking up the magazine Charity left on the couch and tidying Johnny's toys away. Then footsteps start coming up the stairs, Charity opens her eyes and turns to the door. A swish of cool air and Vanessa enters, closing the door behind her and leaning against it, giving Charity a tired smile.

"Hiya."

Charity lifts her eyebrows in greeting. "In for a quick perv, are you?"

Vanessa lets out a soft laugh, her eyes dipping to the water. "Even if I was, I can't see anything for glitter. You're cleaning all that gunk off the bath, by the way."

"Mmhmm," Charity agrees. "You're back earlier than I expected. Thought I'd get the bed to myself for at least a bit of the night."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Vanessa says, shucking her jumper. "Turned out to be a bit of a pointless trip in the end. These new money farmers are all a bit panicky. Shouldn't really complain since we'll charge him through the nose for the call-out. But it was brass monkeys, I can tell you."

"Yeah, my phone said it was minus four when I picked the kids up from nursery," Charity agrees, closing her eyes again. She hears Vanessa moving around and some rustling of clothing.

"Budge up."

Her eyes pop open. Vanessa's standing by the side of the bath, completely naked. "Eh?"

Vanessa inclines her head to the wall behind Charity. "I said budge up, I'm getting in."

"No you are not!" Charity insists. She flicks her hand through the sparkly purple water. "This is one of them posh Lush bath bombs Debs got me! I used it because I had the house to myself and the time to unwind. You're not ruining it with cow muck and God knows what else."

"It was a sheep I was out seeing," Vanessa says, as if that makes anything better. "And I've not got anything disgusting on me! I'm just bloody freezing and I am getting in that bath so stay put or get out, I'm not bothered either way."

Charity considers actually getting out by way of protest at her pampering time being disturbed. But the bath is exactly the right temperature and it smells great. Having Vanessa in it with her probably won't be too much of an imposition. Not that she's going to let it pass without complaint.

"Fine," she says, rolling her eyes. "Take away one of my few luxuries, why don't you?" She sits up and slides backwards, opening her legs. She gestures to the water in front of her with a flourish. "Well, go on then."

Vanessa gives her that annoying 'I got my way' smile and steps into the space Charity's left for her. She yelps and hops backwards, forehead creased. "How are you sitting in that? How is your skin not melting off?"

"Oh, so now you're gonna complain about the temperature of  _my_ bath after demanding to get in it?" Charity shakes her head. "I'm not cooling it down, so you can wait or you can get in."

Vanessa swirls her hand in the water, testing it. "Hmmm, maybe it's just 'cause I'm so cold that it feels like lava? You know when you go all that tingly way?"

"And here was me thinking that was just the effect  _I_ had on you." Charity gives her a wink and gets splashed in the face for it. "Oi! Don't you remember those posters at the swimming baths when you were a kid? No splashing."

"They also said no heavy petting, but I'm guessing you won't be enforcing that one."

"They might as well have said 'no fun'," Charity comments.

Vanessa gingerly puts one foot back in the water, leaning on the side of the bath to ease the other one in, hissing as she does. Charity watches as she moves her weight from one foot to the other.

"Are you getting in or doing an aerobics routine?" Charity asks, looking up. Her lips twist into a smile and she runs her hands up Vanessa's shins, rubbing her thumbs over her calves. "Not that I'm complaining about the view, mind you."

Vanessa looks down at her over her shoulder and frowns. "Give me a minute to get used to it!"

Charity sighs and leans back against the bath, placing her arms on the sides. Vanessa slowly lowers herself into the water, with far more histrionics than necessary if you ask Charity, until she's seated between Charity's legs. She lets out a sigh.

"It's actually not that bad." She leans back against Charity's chest.

Charity smiles, slipping her arms around Vanessa's waist, pulling her closer and resting her chin on her shoulder. "S'alright, I suppose." She runs her hands up Vanessa's arms, feeling them ripple with goosepimples as warm water makes contact with cool skin. She dips her head to press her lips to the place where Vanessa's shoulder meets her neck.

"Oi, lady, I didn't get in here for any funny business," Vanessa murmurs, though Charity notes that she's not exactly pulling away.

"No? Shame." She smiles. "That's probably for the best, to be honest. You wouldn't want all this glitter up your-"

"I don't want glitter up my anything, thank you very much," Vanessa interjects.

"So," Charity says, easing them both down so that the water is lapping at their shoulders. "Tell me about your sheep false alarm, then."

"Not much to tell, really," Vanessa says, leaning her head against Charity's. Her hands come to rest on Charity's thighs under the water. "Retired bloke, too much money and time on his hands decided to play at being a farmer. He panics whenever one of his pregnant ewes looks at him funny." She laughs. "First time one of them started labouring he wanted us to bring her to the surgery. I think he thought she needed a birthing pool and gas and air."

"You're missing a trick there, babe," Charity says, with a smile. "Set up a labour suite for animals and take advantage of all the city boys turned farmers."

"I'll suggest it to Paddy and Rhona," Vanessa says, yawning. "Did I miss anything earlier? Did Johnny go down okay?"

"Not at first, but I gave him a couple of double whiskys and he was out like a light," Charity tells her.

"You're hilarious, you," Vanessa says, running her blunt fingernails up Charity's thigh.

"We read for a bit then he went right to sleep," Charity assures her. "Like the little angel he is." She turns her head so her mouth is against Vanessa's ear. "Can't think who he takes that off."

"Definitely not me," Vanessa says. "Must be your angelic nature rubbing off on him."

"That must be what it is, yeah," Charity agrees with a smile, squeezing Vanessa gently.

"Are you still annoyed at me for invading your bath?" Vanessa asks, turning to bump her forehead against Charity's temple. "Because I'm warmed up now. I can leave you for a bit if you need time to-" She lifts her hands out of the water to make airquotes. "-unwind."

Charity lets out a sigh and makes sure it sounds long-suffering. "Well, you're in now. You might as well stay."

Vanessa laughs against her cheek and presses a kiss there. "Fine then, I will. But only 'cause you asked so nicely."

Charity just smiles and holds her tighter.


	4. Missing!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanessa returns home to find a very worried Charity.

As soon as she enters the house, she knows something's wrong. Charity's hovering by the stairs, radiating tension. Moses and Johnny seem oblivious as they sit on the couch, eyes glued to Paw Patrol. She sheds her jacket and hangs it up, heading over to give the boys a kiss on the head each. She gets mumbled 'hiyas' in response, but they don't glance up from the telly. Turning to greet Charity, she's surprised when her arm is grabbed and she's huckled back into the porch. Charity turns to face her, eyes wide, hands twisting around each other.

"Now, don't panic-"

"Not the best way to start a sentence," Vanessa says, instinctively reaching out and running her hand up and down Charity's arm to try and get rid of her obvious agitation. Charity presses her lips together and Vanessa's heart starts to speed up with worry.

"Something's happened," Charity says, glancing back over at the toddlers.

" _Charity_!" Vanessa hisses in frustration. "You're frightening me. Is it Noah? Debbie? Is someone hurt?"

"No!" Charity frowns and shakes her head. "No. God, no. Nothing like that."

Vanessa lets out a shaky breath. If no-one's hurt, it can't be all that bad. Hopefully. "Right, so are you going to tell me what's happened or-"

Charity steps closer to her, bending so that her lips are beside Vanessa's ear. "Robert's gone missing."

Vanessa pulls back and meets Charity's worried eyes again. She's actually surprised at the level of concern she sees there. While Charity puts up with Robert, she's not exactly his biggest fan. "Missing? What do you mean 'missing'? Did him and Aaron have a barney?"

Charity looks at her like she's gone absolutely mental. "Eh?"

"Well, I mean, did he go out for milk three days ago and not come back, or did he storm out after a row? Because one's really worrying and one's par for the course with them two."

Rolling her eyes, Charity lets out a sigh. "Not  _that_ Robert," she whispers, her tone implying that Vanessa is an idiot for even thinking so. "If it was  _that_ Robert I'd have the fizz and the balloons out." Again, she looks over at the boys briefly and then back at Vanessa. "The  _other_ Robert."

"Oh," Vanessa closes her eyes and nods. She gets it now. "The hamster."

After much arguing and cajoling, they'd agreed to get a pet for the boys. Noah's pleas for a dog were unsuccessful. Vanessa'd love to have a dog, but their tiny house is bursting at the seams as it is without adding to the mix. So a hamster was the compromise. They all went to the pet shop together to choose it. Noah had gone for a cute sandy coated little thing and when he'd held it out to let the younger boys see it, Moses had stroked its head with his pudgy forefinger and declared ' _Looks like uncle Robert_ '. Charity had almost needed resuscitated, she'd laughed so much. So there was really no alternative; the hamster was named Robert and that was that.

"Yes, Vanessa, the hamster," Charity huffs, shaking her head. As if it wasn't a completely valid misunderstanding. "I went to give it its dinner and it wasn't there." Charity wrings her hands in front of her. "Little beggar must've tunnelled its way out or something."

"Tunnelled?" Vanessa repeats, her eyebrow creeping up. "Through hard plastic?"

"Stranger things have happened, babe," Charity says, lifting her chin indignantly. "Never seen The Shawshank Redemption? He got through concrete with just a spoon."

Vanessa bites her lip to stop herself from laughing; she knows exactly what's happened here, but she's not going to let Charity in on it just yet. She folds her arms and tilts her head to the side. "Actually, now you come to mention it, I  _did_ notice he'd started putting up posters of lady hamsters in bikinis." She widens her eyes. "I should've suspected then, really."

Charity mirrors her stance, arms folded across her chest. "You're not taking this seriously at all, are you?" She leans in close to Vanessa's face, jabbing a finger in the direction of the couch. "Those kids'll be gutted. But, yeah, you go ahead and laugh it up."

Relenting, Vanessa rolls her eyes and leans in to peck Charity's cheek. "Come with me." She takes hold of her hand and pulls her over to the couch, ignoring the confused expression she's wearing. They come to a halt just to the side of the couch and Vanessa uses their joint hands to pull Charity in so that she can whisper in her ear. "Notice anything?"

Charity squints at the boys for a bit before turning back to Vanessa. "No." Vanessa takes pity on her and points at the bib of Moses' dungarees. Charity follows her finger with her eyes, her mouth dropping open. "Oh, You are  _joking_. I've been going off my head for an hour!" The hamster is happily sitting in the wide pocket on Moses' front, his little paws clutching the edge, nose twitching, looking for all the world like he's as engrossed in the cartoon as the boys are.

"Moses, love," Vanessa says. "I'm gonna take Robert back to his cage now, okay? It's time for his tea."

"'Kay, Ness." Moses reaches into his pocket and scoops the hamster up, holding him out for Vanessa to take.

She cradles him in both hands, raising her eyebrows at Charity as she makes her way over to his cage and pops him back in through the hatch on the top. She takes a step back, leaning into Charity's side as they both watch as he scampers to his food bowl and starts to fill his cheeks.

"You were worried about him," Vanessa says, keeping her eyes on the hamster, smiling at Charity's scoff.

"I was worried how the kids would take the news," Charity counters, bumping Vanessa with her hip.

"You like him." Vanessa wraps her arms around Charity's waist and leans her head on her shoulder. "Admit it." Charity lets out a long-suffering sigh, but her arm wraps around Vanessa's shoulders.

"He's the only one round here who doesn't give me lip, more like."

Vanessa laughs, lifting her head and turning to press a kiss against Charity's jaw. "Well, to make up for all your stress..." She walks her fingers up Charity's chest. "How about, after the boys are in bed, you and me play a little game of vets and hamsters, eh?"

There's a flash of arousal in Charity's eyes before her face scrunches up. "Yeah, that's even  _weirder_ now we've got one, babe."


End file.
